Bowling shoes are often provided with different shoe soles for varying traction of the shoe sole on a surface of a bowling lane. In specific bowling lane conditions, the stopping and the sliding characteristics of a shoe can greatly enhance an ability of a bowler to stop his feet suddenly and abruptly. For example, when the bowler approaches a foul line to throw a ball, one foot usually performs the slide action and the other foot performs the traction action. A slide shoe for the slide action usually has a sole made with a low friction material, and a traction shoe has a sole with a high friction material for better traction. However, the optimal traction characteristics of each shoe will depend on several characteristics including each bowler's individual style and preference, on bowling surface conditions, and on whether the bowler is right- or left-handed.
A bowler limited to using conventional fixed sole bowling shoes would require many pairs of shoes to adjust to bowling lane conditions. Additionally, the ball and heel portions of the shoe outsoles often wear out prematurely due to increased stress exerted on these portions, rendering the whole shoe unusable to the bowler.
The prior art solves this problem by providing a shoe with an outsole that is designed to be attachable and detachable, allowing a bowler with a single pair of shoes to adjust to bowling lane conditions by selecting an appropriate outsole for the current bowling lane condition. The bowler simply selects an optimal outsole for use, attaches the outsole to the midsole, and the bowler is able to achieve optimal stopping and sliding characteristics for the current conditions, which aids the bowler in achieving consistent high performance. Many midsole and outsole fastener systems rely solely on a hook and pile fastener system to allow the outsole to be attached and detached.
Unfortunately, a fastener system that relies on a hook and pile system alone introduces undesirable variable shoe performance. Although a hook and pile fastener system enables attaching and detaching a variety of outsoles to a midsole, allowing a bowling shoe to be adapted to achieving consistent stopping and sliding characteristics over a range of bowling lane conditions, this solution creates variable shoe performance characteristics.
Unlike a fixed sole shoe, a shoe with an outsole and midsole attachment system that relies on a hook and pile fastener system does not flex uniformly throughout a bowler's stride. Generally, an outsole attached the hook and pile fastener system releases slightly over the course of the bowler's stride, because the hook portion of the system pulls away from the pile portion under shear stress caused by the bending of the sole. Thus, a system that relies on a hook and pile fastener system alone causes inconsistent flex in the shoe at key points in the bowler's stride, which in turn creates inconsistent bowler performance.
Worse, if a shearing force is applied to the leading edge of the outsole of the shoe, such as when a bowler drags a trailing foot on approach to the foul line, the outsole may partially peel away from the midsole of the shoe.
What is needed is an improved fastener system for attaching and detaching bowling shoe outsoles, which maintains the ability to attach and detach a variety of outsoles to the midsole, yet also increases consistency in the flex of the shoe as well as the attachment of the outsole to the midsole, throughout the bowler's stride.